Seeney has abandoned us: landholder

A farmer whose property would be carved up by rail lines from Galilee Basin coal mines says the Deputy Premier has abandoned her.

The Queensland Cordinator-General last week gave approval to Waratah Coal's Galilee Coal Project, which would include a rail line through parts of central Queensland.

Shontae Moran, whose property 'Double Dee' has been affected by a number of rail proposals for the past four years, is disappointed the state government is leaving much of the decision making in the hands of the companies involved.

"I think abandoned is probably a good word," she says.

"We look to our leaders for a voice for everybody in our state and it just seems to continually fall back to how much money can we make right now.

"I don't think it's got anything to do with the long term development of the state because if you were looking for the long term development of the state you would put the railway line in a position where it's not going to continually get washed out."

The Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney says the state government has made it clear it only wants two rail corridors, one north-south and another east-west, running from the basin to Abbot Point's coal terminal.

"I support the development of the Galilee coal basin as an important part of Queensland's economic future," he says.

"If this project, or any of the Galilee coal projects, go ahead it will mean the development of a new coal province, a new mining area, that will provide economic benefits for generations of Queenslanders."

Despite the government's preference for the two rail corridors Mr Seeney says it would be up to the various companies, including Gina Rinehart's GVK Hancock, Clive Palmer's Waratah Coal, and rail provider Aurizon to negotiate the rail lines.

"It's an issue for the individual proponents to make their own decisions about the options that they adopt," he says.

"The government's made it clear that we want a rationalisation of the infrastructure, especially the rail lines, we want the minimum number that can be established to minimise the impact on land owners and the environment.

"We've indicated a preference but the actual investment decisions are up to the individual proponents."

He says the infrastructure needs to be delivered in a planned way, and says 'commercial forces' will help achieve that.

Mrs Moran says that's not good enough and it's now up to the landholders to negotiate directly with the companies, which can be a one sided process.

"Obviously the companies have got the financial backing to spend as much time as they like with solicitors," she says.

"Whilst our legal expenses are supposedly being covered by these proponents, our loss of time spent dealing with them certainly isn't and we don't have 50 other lackeys to run around and do the jobs we didn't get time to do."